| Author | Message | ||
     Glenn Tinkerer Username: Glenn Post Number: 213 Registered: 07-2006 Rating: N/A |
Sorry York Praktica Fan, but you are completely off the mark. If you live in the UK, get a copy of the free 'dslr Round-Up' - given with the 17th November copy of Amateur Photographer. There in, you will find 'prosumer' used/described exactly as I have previously stated. The Editor has even used my Nikon D3/D300 example! You have to remember that the bench-mark is the 'professional model', the down market refers to this bench-mark. The Canon EOS 5D can be looked upon as a cheaper/slightly down market camera, when compared to the EOS-1Ds Mark 111. However there is no way that you can describe the 5D as entry level. As Wernerjb's link indicates, in the photographic context the word means of a 'type and build to be useful to both amateurs and professionals alike'. The word was never used in the days before digital, people could easily work-out that the Canon F1 was professional kit and the A1 was aimed at the advanced amateur. The A1 could stand the rigors of professional use - I used a couple of A1 bodies alongside my F1s - but changing focus screens on the A1 was not an 'in the field' job. This definitely reduced the capability of the A1 for covering a number my forensic commissions. However; no matter what the build qualities and thus the ruggedness of the cameras were, the functions were still pretty similar and cost gave a very good indication as to where in the market, the models were pitched. In the DSLR market today it seems there is a need to have a specific word to describe the 'semi-professional' camera. This has arisen because there are vast differences, in the operating functions and menus, on the various classes of digital SLR. Price is no longer a good indication of intended use, you soon find that these semi-professional cameras have their prices nearer to the entry level groups, than the £6,000 professional group. So it then becomes unclear if the camera is based on an up-rated amateur body or a down-rated professional one. Far simpler to use the word 'prosumer', than list all the cameras specific attributes or intended usage. Mind you I still hate seeing the word in print, just more 21st century jargon! |